Those He Left Behind
by AnotherMelancholicWriter
Summary: Coping with Ace's death and moving forward is easier said than done. Can Luffy save the brokenhearted woman that his brother left behind? Ace x OC
1. At Sabaody: I'm Coming Ace!

A/N: Oda owns everything. Mangakas are the biggest trolls on the face of this earth. I fell in love with Ace, and then he killed him off. I know why he did, but I wasn't satisfied. I wanted to give Ace a little love, and continue to Gol D. Roger's line :) Hope you like it!

She watched the video screen linked to the den den mushi at Sabaody Archipelago. Standing in the back of the crowd, she stared intently at the condemned man, Portgas D. Ace.

Ignoring the chatter around her, it was as if she was in a nightmare and couldn't wake up. Admiral Sengoku had just stepped onto the execution scaffold and revealed a shocking secret: Ace was the son of Gol D. Roger. She knew that already, but that the only man he would ever refer to as father was Whitebeard.

Her lips trembled; she was more afraid than when she thought she was going to be sold into slavery. Ace looked so helpless. This man invincible man, her savior appeared so haggard.

The marines were supposed to stand for justice, but they were anything but just. _What had they done to him? How dare they execute a man just for such symbolism? It wasn't his fault that his progenitor was the infamous pirate king. Did they think they could end the pirate era with his death? Was a life that insignificant? He didn't even want to be king of the pirates! _

For all his idol worship of Whitebeard, she hoped that he would save the man she loved. Her eyes never left the screen. Her hands touched her belly instinctively. She wanted her child to know his father; she wanted him to be around, to show their baby the world. It had been a month since she saw him. When she found out she was pregnant, he had already been captured.

Her heart leapt as she saw Whitebeard's ships emerged from the ocean. _He'll be saved!_ Whitebeard will definitely save him. Hope came in the form of the strength of Whitebeard. She heard people around her muttered about the beginning of the war. The young woman didn't care about any war, just the life of the man she wanted to be with forever.

She buried her hands in her head as she watched his companions one after the other fall trying to save him. The pain on his face as he could do nothing was more than she could bear.

A loud crash caused her to look up, only to see a marine ship falling from the sky. It was Ace's little brother; he had told her countless stories about him when they were together. There was always a fond smile that he wore when he talked about Luffy. The rubberman lunged forward at his enemies, determined to get to his brother. Another revelation was made; Luffy was the revolutionary Dragon's son. She didn't care about that either, she only cared about Ace being safe, about how he would be rescued.

There was no time to be impressed with Luffy as she heard people around her discuss that the timetable for the execution was thrown out the window. _Those damned marines couldn't even keep their word!_ It seemed that there was some new human weapons she heard being called pacifistas arrive. They seemed indestructible. Just then, the connection with the transponder den den mushis was cut, save one. It seemed useless because the den den mushi was commandeered by Buggy the Clown. Ace had told her about him, but it didn't seem like Buggy was there to save him. There was a hush in the crowd before crying out as one of Whitebeard's companions ran his sword through him. The woman held her breath. _This can't be happening!_ From what Ace had told her, she didn't think that Whitebeard would sell out his comrades, like the man that stabbed him claimed. Suddenly, the one screen blanked.

She stood there as the onlookers were clamoring and hypothesizing about what happened. _Whitebeard sold out his allies? Hmph. _The woman knew that wasn't the case. The video feed cutting off just meant that the marines were going to do something they didn't want to world to know. History is written by the victors after all.

She looked up onto the roof and saw very familiar faces. Familiar in the sense that their wanted posters were plastered everywhere. They didn't seem to be buying into the Navy's explanation.

Blocking out the speculation and fury of the crowd due to the uncertainty that lay ahead, the woman focused on Ace. There was nothing she could do. Her eyes dull, her body limp, she waited like a statue to hear some news of what was going on. She couldn't steel her heart to prepare for the worst and it hurt to hope for the best. _I can't do anything. Ace is suffering, and I can't even share his pain. Ace…_

"Ann!" The door to a small cottage flung open. "Are you home?"

Immediately footsteps could be heard running down the stairs and into the arms of the man who entered.

"Ace!" She hugged him tightly. "You're back!"

"I said I'd be back in about two months, didn't I?" With little effort, the tall young man picked up her and whisked her off to the kitchen. He set her down on the table, though she still had her legs intertwined around his waist.

"This isn't a dream! You're really here…" She took off his hat, letting it fall onto his back as she ran her fingers through his messy long black hair.

"Does that mean you've been dreaming of me often?" He jokes as his muscular arms snaked around her back.

"You wish!" she retorted haughtily before lifting her face up to his and kissing him deeply.

"I'll have to come around more often if this is how I'll get greeted," Ace gasped as the broke the kiss.

The young woman hopped off the table and walked over to the massive refrigerator nearby. She opened the door and started taking out pot after pot and pan after pan of food.

"I'm not bribing you or anything, but if you do come more often, I'll give you food," she cooed sweetly, as she set the table for him.

"I'm not going to die from eating this, am I?"

A swift slap to the back of the head caused him to retract his jab. "I've gotten better at cooking!"

The women watched Ace scarf down food like a man stranded in the desert seeing food for the first time. She beamed, pleased with herself.

"It's so good!" Ace managed to say in between stuffing his face and then falling asleep.

Clearing the table, she sat down across from him with a big grin on her face. She couldn't help smiling when she was with him. They used to be inseparable until he joined Whitebeard's crew. Now, she barely saw him. Ironically, it was when he left her behind that they became more than friends. She rested her head on the table and drifted off the sleep.

When she came to, she found herself in bed, with Fire Fist Ace gazing at her warmly.

"You're such a creeper," she murmured softly, cuddling up next to him.

Ace frowned. "Would a creeper bring you a present?" He produced a neatly wrapped present as the woman sat up.

"I don't want anything. Seeing you again is more than enough." She unwrapped the package to reveal a large spool of white satin ribbons. "Ribbons?"

"I saw them and they reminded me of you." His freckled cheeks reddened. "You know, the threads of fate and all of that."

"You know it's the _red_ thread of fate," she corrected him, but quickly reassured him. "But it's wonderful, I love them! White is better because it's pure and untainted!"

Ace laughed. "I'm glad you like it."

The next day the two of them visited the beach. Walking along the shore, holding hands, they got caught up on what was happening in the other's life.

"So the old man is treating you well?" he half asked.

Ace was referring to the man that she was worked for. He met him saving slaves from a ship heading to the auction house. Since he seemed trustworthy, he left the girl in his care.

"Gramps is crazy as usual," she answered with a sigh. "His repair business is doing well, but he always slacks off to tinker with other things and then he disappears for days on end! He's so infuriating sometimes."

"I'm glad you're having fun."

"I guess I am. OH! I see your brother's been causing trouble again. His bounty's gone up."

"What am I going to do with him?" Ace exasperated.

"When am I going to meet him?"

"Never," he replied jokingly. "He'll steal you away from me. My little brother is always following in my footsteps."

The woman laughed. "So I'll have two attractive men fighting over me? I kinda hope to meet him soon!"

"See? You're already fawning over him! I'm not going to lose!"

"Let's head back." She pulled on his hand, leading him back to the cottage. "I have to do your laundry and sew up your clothes. I can't believe you destroyed them so quickly!"

Back at the house, Ace's head was resting on the young woman's lap as she was busy sewing up a rip in one of his pants. The breeze wafted through the back porch as his clothes were on the line drying. It was a perfect picture. The two seemed like a married couple enjoying a lazy afternoon.

"Ah! It's started raining!" The girl exclaimed as the rain came down. "Let's get your clothes before they get wet!"

In the end, they saved the clothes, but got completely wet. They were laughing at themselves rushing for the clothes as they entered the house.

"You're going to catch a cold!" She scolded him. "Off with your clothes and into the bath!"

"Yes ma'am!" He replied stripping down to his boxers before picking her up and carrying her to the bath. "But the same goes for you as well!"

She blushed as he set her down on the bathroom counter and started unbuttoning her blouse. Slipping off her jeans, he began to fumble undoing her bra. She giggled, this time making him blush as she reached behind and unclasped it herself.

"God, you're beautiful," he whispered as he ogled her getting into the bath.

"It's so embarrassing!" she exclaimed, her face completely red watching him stepped in as well.

She got over her embarrassment as she washed him. His body was all scratched up, making her worry. "You really need to stop getting hurt."

"Sorry," he apologized as she shampooed his hair. "Ack! It's getting in my eyes!"

"Quit being a baby! What would the crew say if they saw you right now?" She ran her hands over his toned body, making sure he was completely clean. There was little faith that he did a thorough job by himself. Pirates weren't really known for their hygiene.

"Is that before or after I beat them to a pulp for ogling you?"

She sighed as she bathed herself, satisfied that Ace was completely clean.

"Let me help you with that!" Ace eagerly exclaimed, clearly overly excited. He'd take any chance to hold her and he wasn't about to let this prime opportunity slip by.

She giggled at first as she wasn't used to his rough hands soaping her up. Giggling turned into silence occasionally broken by quiet moans as his hands wandered her body. She didn't want it to end. Being with him was made her feel like she was in heaven. Ace always made her feel safe.

Lifting her up from the bath, he found a towel on the rack that they shared to dry themselves. Ace laid her on the bed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him down for a kiss. Rarely coming up for air, the two never parted. Both experience unadulterated ecstasy through late into the night before falling asleep in each other's arms.

"Do you really have to leave so soon?" She handed him his bag and stretched to plop his hat on his head.

"Yeah, Blackbeard's on Banaro Island." He stood in front her by the dock, his one man boat floating in the water. "It's my one chance to end it."

"I know."

"Ann, do you think I should have been born? Does someone like me deserve life and happiness?"

"If you weren't born, I wouldn't be alive. It was you that saved me and you've brightened so many other lives. The Spade Pirates followed you because you touched their hearts. Whitebeard acknowledged you; you've kept many people safe because you are alive. You're my most important treasure. Life and death isn't my own to deal out, but your life is more precious to me than my own. I'd gladly give it up if it meant you'd be alive. I'm here and happy because you were born. I'm sure every one of your comrades feel the same as I do. No matter whose blood runs in your veins, that doesn't make you predisposed to anything. You're you, and I love you, Ace. " She spoke with intense feeling as she embraced him as if her life depended on it. The conviction in her voice was without match.

"I love you too, Ann." Ace hugged her tightly. "I don't deserve you, but I'm glad you're with me."

"Now stop making me cry and go before I change my mind and make you stay forever!" She brushed away her tears and put on a brave face.

"I'll be back as soon as I take care of Blackbeard and let Pops know. It shouldn't take too long."

She replied with a passionate kiss, like she always did when parting from him. It was in part to make sure he remembered her and but more so it was to engrave in her heart how he felt against her and the complete happiness and unbridled love that washed over her when she was in his arms. It was enough to make her heart burst from overwhelming bliss.

"Have a safe trip, Ace. I love you!" She bid him farewell.

"I will! I love you too!" He shouted as she watched his outline disappear into the horizon.


	2. Horror At Marineford: Ace's Death

_Purupurupuru – purupurupuru – purupurupuru. _The woman stopped her reminiscing. She pulled out a tiny den den mushi from her pocket.

"Gramps! Ace – I don't know what's happening, the line's been disconnected," The woman frantically related. "Can you get me back there yet?"

"Annagi D. Aruna! Calm down! You're not going to be of any use to him like this." The voice firmly stated.

The young woman was at Marineford but was thrown out when the Marines evacuated the civilian population. The man she worked for was somewhat of a scientist way ahead of his time. With the combination of his devil fruit powers of teleportation and genius, he created a prototypal method of transporting people other than himself. It was highly dangerous, but Annagi survived the first test transport, as she was taken to Marineford.

"I have to go to him!"

"Are you sure that's what you want to do? We have one vial left on both our sides. That was supposed to be for your return journey."

Before she left, Gramps had given her three vials of clear liquid that synchronized with his own devil's fruit power. There wasn't any time to create more. She had given him three test tubes with her blood so he would be able to hone in on moving her with more accuracy. They weren't even sure that it would work. She took the first one to get to Marineford and the second one on the navy ship as it sailed away. It turns out that the teleportation doesn't work on marine ships. Gramps hypothesized that it was probably due to the kairoseki lining on the ship's hull. Thankfully, he had enough samples to make a third vial.

"I have to go, Gramps," She gripped a small glass tube in her pocket. "I might not be of any help, but I can't stay here and do nothing. He'd do the same for me."

"You can't be selfish! Think about your child!"

"I couldn't face his child if I didn't go to him. How could I look into our baby's eyes and say with a clear conscience that I did everything I could to save him? I couldn't." She paused. "Gramps, if anything happens to me…"

"I'm monitoring your vitals as well as the baby's. I'll do my best to save it, but I can't guarantee its safety in such an early stage."

"I know, Gramps. I won't do anything reckless."

"That also means using Conqueror's Haki. You can use Observation Haki for multiple lower level marines, and Armament Haki for the higher leveled ones. Under NO circumstances must you use Conqueror's Haki at Marineford. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Annagi answered. "My voulge wielding isn't what it used to be compares to when I was with the Spade pirates, but I've been practicing since I saw the papers about Ace. I'm not going to be so rusty that I can't handle a few marines."

She placed the tiny snail on her shoulder, before wrapping her wrists and hands in some of the white satin ribbons that Ace had given her, fashioning them like fingerless gloves. It was just a little insurance, in case she truly overestimated her ability to wield a double ended voulge. _I might not be as strong as you, but my fists can rival yours, Ace, when I use Haki. _

Taking out the glass tube, the woman downed the liquid. She winced. Even though she did this the first two times, the pain was nothing to be accustomed to. It felt as if her blood was on fire, melting away her skin. Amidst the pain, she managed to utter, "I'm ready, Gramps."

"Stay safe, Anna."

Annagi felt herself being pulled. Her bones felt as if they were being crushed under some immense force of gravity as she traveled in darkness. What felt like an eternity was only the time between the blink of an eye.

The force pulling her abruptly stopped, causing her to fall forward. Her eyes burning, the first thing she was aware of was the smell of blood. Many people had been killed. Annagi would never forget the image her eyes focused on. It would be forever ingrained into her being.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. Some marine had just punched through Ace. She froze, struggling to breathe. The pain that she had just experience was nothing compared to what she was feeling. The flames emitting from his body was not fooling her, that the attack hadn't fazed him. All of it was marked on his freckled face.

"Ace," she heard his brother's voice feebly spoke, with the same disbelief that she herself was feeling, struggling for other words. He was protecting Luffy.

The marine removed his hand. Ace was still standing, coughing up blood. His comrades screaming his name, he started firing at the marine that she heard being called Akainu. That monster took their attacks like it was nothing. Akainu moved towards him. Unimaginable fear overcame Annagi.

_Move. Move. Move! _Her body wouldn't budge._ MOVE DAMN IT! _

"Don't do it!" Luffy pleaded as the man got closer and closer.

Whitebeard made a move, but was stopped by some beam marine. She despaired. Where was all the bravado she had a few moments ago. What happened to saving Ace? Didn't she say she was going to give her life for him? Didn't she tell him that?

Akainu readied another punch. She wouldn't let him. Willing herself to move, she made a mad dash toward Ace, hoping to make it before the blow was landed. Bracing herself for death, it didn't come. She turned to see a fishman, assuming that it was Jinbe, the only one Ace had talked about, blocking the attack.

Ace fell into Luffy's arms. Annagi fell to her knees. There was a hole through his back. The Whitebeard insigna he proudly wore on his back, damaged. _A hole. There's a hole. It's not real. It's not real. It's a nightmare. A nightmare._

"Ace? Are you alright?" Luffy looked at his hands. It was covered in his brother's blood. "We need to get you treated."

"I'm sorry Luffy," Ace struggled through his words. "You did all that in order to save me, but I couldn't make it."

Tears flowed freely from her face.

"Don't talk like that," she heard Luffy say as he pleaded for someone to save his brother. Whitebeard's surgeon came forward. "What's the matter? Hurry up and treat him!"

Annagi knew he couldn't. Luffy yelled at the doctor.

"It's no use. My organs have been burned." Ace explained. "I can tell my life is ending."

Luffy wouldn't hear of it. He begged a strange man to save him like how he saved him. The man couldn't. Luffy shouted how Ace promised that he wouldn't die; he screamed his name.

The young woman couldn't hold back. This wasn't a nightmare. She wouldn't wake up and call him to tell him about it. All strength left her. Crawling forward, she moved to help Luffy support him.

The weight of him on her shoulder as she held him felt like stone. His touch never felt like that before.

"What do you mean you can't make it?" Luffy repeated. "You promised you wouldn't die!"

"Ann?" Ace question, as she felt his arm tighten around her. "What are you doing here?"

"I-Ace-don't go, please!" She begged as if saying please would miraculously make him better. "I came to save you…"

"I'm so glad I got to see you again," his grip on her loosened as he struggled to breathe. "I'm sorry Ann, I'm leaving you behind again. Forgive me."

She shook her head. "Ace, please! Don't go! I love you!"

"Ann, take good care of my little brother, make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble. You know he's reckless, but I know you can handle whatever he gets into. Luffy, look after my precious Ann. She'll be all alone now. Make sure she doesn't ever feel like that."

Ace told them what she knew before. About how he questioned why he was born. About how people reacted when he asked what would happen to Gol D. Roger's son. About how having a brother like Luffy and Sabo helped him keep living. About Whitebeard, his friends, and Luffy's rescue made him happy, even Annagi's late entrance hoping to save him.

"I can't raise my voice to let them know, could you tell them what I'm about to say now?" Ace spoke his last request. "Pops, everyone, Ann, and you Luffy, thank you for loving someone like me, who is good for nothing, and who has such bad blood in his veins up until today. Thank you!"

Tears were streaming down his face, she could barely see through her own tears. He collapsed to the ground. Luffy and Annagi were trembling. Blood was seeping onto the stony ground. Ace looked peaceful; a smile lingered on his face.

Annagi looked at her hands. The ribbons he gave her were now dyed red in his blood. It was cruel irony that their red thread of fate was cut as her thread was stained red. She couldn't breathe; her sobs were choking her, echoing in her ears. Her heart was being crushed as she stared at the man she failed to save, at the man she loved, at the father of her unborn child.

Luffy was in such a state of shock, he didn't move, his eyes wide, his face stricken with grief. The girl moved toward Ace and put his head onto her lap, like she had done countless times before. However there would be no conversation, no catching up, and no teasing. She stroked his hair as she rocked back and forth, her tears falling on his face. The two bawled, not holding anything back.

They didn't notice that Akainu made his way towards them, only to be blocked by Marco. Jinbei picked them up and ran, leaving Marco to battle the marine admiral. Her hands reached back for Ace and grabbed at nothing. Luffy was catatonic, but Annagi noticed Whitebeard appear behind the man that killed Ace. Her hand closed into a fist, hatred spread into every fiber of her being. _Kill him!_

As Jinbe ran back to the ship, several familiar faces recognized Annagi.

"Isn't that our former vice-captain, Anna?" a Spade pirate asked another.

"What's she doing here?"

Her hearing was failing her, her body was shutting down. Since Annagi heard the news of Ace's capture, all she did was train to become stronger in order to save him. Depriving herself of sleep and rest was the only way to ensure that all her time was devoted to using her voulge, haki, and fists. _In the end, it didn't matter…_ Though she tried her best to stay conscious, whatever strength she had, died with Ace.

"I'm not letting Straw Hat go!" Akainu's magma form reverted back to normal as he blocked the way.

She faintly heard those words and steeled herself for the worst. Annagi's eyes fluttered open. She forced her body to stiffen. Wriggling free from Jinbe, she stood between them. Reaching behind her back, she brought her double ended voulge. Clutching the grip for dear life, she looked into the marine admiral's determined eyes.

"I think you're mistaken. It is _I_ who's not letting you go," Annagi spun the voulge like a baton, getting used to the shifting weight.


	3. Escape from Marineford!

"Let's see you try, kid," Akainu aimed a punch towards her.

Using the top end of her voulge, she managed to block the attack. Sweeping the bottom end up, she sliced through his magma hand. Knowing full well it wouldn't hurt a logia user, Annagi expected some damage.

"I see that weapon of yours isn't melted yet."

Her eyes widened. _Haki doesn't work? _

"I have no time to waste with you." He punched again.

Annagi braced for impact, but nothing happened.

Ivankov and Inazuma intercepted the attack, as the scissor man cut the ground, making a wall between them.

"Thanks!" Jinbe picked her up again, this time against her wishes and continued running toward the ship.

"Let me go! I'm going to kill him!" She struggled to break free.

"Ace wouldn't want you to die here," he said wisely, though logic would not be getting through to her. "You're that girl he always talks about, Ann. He always had a stupid smile on his face when he said your name."

"Jinbe, hand over Dragon's son!" Akainu was still on their trail; he became magma and moved his way through the pirates.

"If we can get to the sea, we'll be fine," Jinbe lunged over the ground, hoping to make it into the water. "Damn it! Aokiji froze the sea!"

" I've got you!" Akainu punched a hole through the fishman.

It passed through him, to Luffy. The magma barely grazed Annagi as she was being held to the side. As Jinbe fell, he placed Luffy and Annagi on the frozen sea. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

She crawled over to Luffy and gasped at the big burn mark in the shaped of an X on his chest. _He can't die too! Ace told me to take care of him! _

Akainu walked slowly in their direction. "You're still going to protect him, Jinbe? Even with a hole in your chest? It's a shame I missed, it would have been over if I hit him in the heart."

Rage swelled up within Annagi. Jinbe's labored breathing as he hovered over Luffy was more than she could take. The contempt with which Akainu spoke, made her blood boil.

She stood up facing him, her legs buckling slightly under her own weight. Annagi was at her limit. The young woman didn't know what she could do. Relying on haki wouldn't even injure him, as her last encounter discovered. She could use Observation Haki to stall him, but there would be no one coming to their rescue and there was a chance that avoiding his attacks could damage Jinbe and Luffy. Conqueror's Haki probably wouldn't work either, if he wasn't susceptible to Armament Haki.

Jinbe struggled to get up. Annagi tightened her grip on her weapon, taking a defensive stance. Akainu was getting closer.

A spear of sand encompassed the marine. Crocodile came to their rescue.

"Crocodile!" Jinbe was stunned.

"Sables." A whirlwind of sand surrounded the three. "Someone get them on the ship. You gotta protect the one you want to protect. Don't let them have their way."

As they were falling, they suddenly stopped. Buggy accidentally caught them. He glided away as Akainu rose up.

Annagi saw Ace's friends stand between them and Akainu. She was glad that they loved him as much as he loved them. Buggy flew away, so she couldn't see what happened. He dodged the magma fists that rained from the sky. _He's really lucky; he's not even using haki. _

A yellow submarine emerged from the ocean. The pirate told Buggy to put them on his ship. His jolly roger wasn't familiar to her.

"Who are you, brat?" Buggy asked.

The man told him that even though they will become enemies at some point, but that even such an undesirable relationship was a relationship and that there was no point for him to die there. He told Buggy that he was a doctor.

Annagi was in awe of Luffy. Ace always spoke of him as a kid brother he'd have to look out for. He was such a good big brother, but there was nothing for him to be worried about. There were so many people, enemies or not, that would willingly endanger themselves for him. He was so much like Ace. She guessed big brothers would always worry about the younger siblings.

Cannons began to fire. They were trying to sink the submarine.

"Hurry! Put them on my ship!"

Suddenly the ground, the sea, the sky shook.

_Is this even real? _Annagi's mind could not wrap around when she was experiencing. The unending carnage seemed so unfathomable.

A beam headed in their direction, going through Buggy's coat.

"Hurry and put them on my ship!" The pirate captain implored as Buggy heeded his words.

"Catch them Jean Bart!" A huge white bear in an orange jumpsuit ordered.

"Submerge!" The captain commanded.

It didn't seem that the beam marine or Akainu would let them go.

"That's enough!" A young pink haired man screamed, causing everyone to stop. He stood between them and Akainu, tears flowing down. "Let's not fight anymore! We're wasting people's lives! Every soldier has a family waiting for them at home. We've accomplished our goals, but we're still chasing pirates who don't have the will to fight. We just want more! We're giving up soldiers who could survive if we treated them now and we keep multiplying the number of victims. They're all fools!"

His words resonated with Annagi. She saw firsthand the senseless violence caused by the Navy. The pirates were only on the defensive. Was that their justice? More like sadistic bastards craving blood under the guise of justice.

"Who are you, fool?" Akainu was annoyed. Some brat was spouting nonsense. "You're wasting my time! We have no use for a soldier who doesn't believe in justice."

As Akainu moved in to kill this brave little marine, he was stopped by a sword.

Annagi gasped. She knew him! Well, she knew of him. Ace had told her about the pirate that saved his brother's life, Shanks; one of the Four Emperors in the New World.

Shanks thanked the soldier for risking his life to stop the madness, telling him that his actions have changed the world, for better or worse.

The bear carried both Luffy and Annagi into the submarine. Knowing Shanks had come had lightened her grief. Luffy would be able to escape. She could finally close her eyes. _Ace, Luffy is safe now. _

As they wheeled Jinbe and Luffy away, Annagi collapsed onto the floor. The adrenaline rush that kept her going dissipated. She closed her eyes, opening them immediately. In the darkness, all she could see was Ace with a hole in his chest. His red blood spilled onto the ground, staining everything. Her eyes opened wide. Not moving from the floor, all she could do was keep her eyes open. _No! I don't want to see that! It didn't happen! _Tears streamed down her face. Her body convulsed under the strength of her sobs. _It didn't happen! You can't be gone! Please wake me up and tell me it was a horrible nightmare! _

She felt a sharp pain. One of the doctors gave her some sort of shot. The girl immediately felt drowsy; everything went back.

Trafalgar Law inspected his third patient. She seemed to be a young girl, around Luffy's age of average height and weight, with no distinguishing scars. The girl's face was unfamiliar, not on any wanted posters he had ever seen, nor did he expect such an angelic face to be on one. She didn't seem to be a pirate, and on top of that, she was pregnant. Surprised that she was pregnant at such a young age, he wasn't his job to judge. He didn't know who she was or why she was at Marineford. All he knew was that she was extremely injured.

Annagi's body was covered in bruises. Black, blue, purple, red, and yellow discolorations were raised all over her body. She had several fractures. Law had no idea how she came to have them. The only scenario that would have explained it was that her entire body was crushed by some unknown force as it was being dragged throughout a compressed plane. He knew exactly where her burns came from, though he was surprised that it wasn't worse; facing Akainu with non life threatening burns at the end of it is a feat in itself. She reminded him of Luffy. There was no way she could have moved in her condition, but she did. In fact, she was the only one conscious after Akainu's attack.

Law double checked her restraints. Her hands, legs, and waist were all bound to the bed. When the anesthesia wore off, she would be in excruciating pain. The restraints were there to make sure that she wouldn't be further injured. Increasing the anesthesia, she wouldn't be waking up for a while. That would be for the best; it would allow her body to heal a little.

Two weeks had passed since Marineford. Trafalgar Law and his pirates were taking care of the patients on the bay of the Women's Isle. There loud commotion followed by shaking on the ship.

Annagi's eyes fluttered open. _Where am I? _She got up to find herself bandaged up, wearing a strange white jumpsuit. She winced as she moved. The anesthesia was wearing off as she came to. Walking out of the room, she saw Luffy. He just busted out of the ship, mumbling Ace's name. She followed him. _Ace must be here, I guess. Huh? Ace…is here? _

The girl saw Jinbe and the pirate from before. Luffy clutched at the ground repeating Ace's name in pain. "Where's Ace?!"

She wondered the same thing. _I went to save him. Luffy saved him. Right? So where is he? _

She heard someone say that Ace was dead. _No!_ _He's not dead! He's not dead! He's not dead! _She didn't know when she started saying it out loud. "He's not dead! He's not dead!"

Luffy was running around, a group of men in white jumpsuits running after him to get him to stop moving. The pirate captain, she heard being called Trafalgar Law said that Luffy was going to die if his wounded opened.

Annagi ran after Ace's brother into the forest, followed by Jinbe. Luffy punched down trees along the way. The amount of sheer strength that he had even in his condition was nothing to overlook. He finally stopped, out of breath. Blood dripped from his mouth and nose, blood seeping out from his bandages, falling to the ground. The smell brought back those horrible memories of the battlefield for her.

"Where am I?" Luffy asked himself out loud. "Maybe it was just a dream."

He started screaming, obviously remembering what Annagi was remembering, their loved one's death. Luffy punched into the cliff, begging those memories to go away. He lifted a giant rock, throwing it at a small mountain.

Annagi watched him silently. She knew that she couldn't do anything. He had to vent. He fell to the ground. Annagi walked up to him. Luffy looked surprised.

_I guess he doesn't remember me. _She knelt beside him, ignoring the pain as she did so. He turned to her, to which she responded by taking him into her arms.

Jinbe walked up to them. "The war is over. Ace is –"

"Don't say it!" Luffy took the words out of her mouth. She clutched him tightly, bracing for the truth she knew. " I've already pinched myself hard enough to rip my skin. If it was a dream, I would have woken up by now. It's not a dream, is it? Ace is really dead, isn't he?"

Luffy's tears flowed down his face. Annagi really heard those words for the first time out loud. Ace was dead. Ace wasn't coming back. She would never see Ace again.

"Yes, he's dead." Jinbe told them.

Annagi cried in Luffy's arms. Luffy cried in hers. The pain was more than they could bear. It was as if screaming, crying, heaving, and making some audible noise would let out all the pain they left. Neither of the two could see a future for themselves with Ace gone.


	4. Luffy's Turmoil: Distance Between Them

"King of the pirates?" Luffy cried. "I'm – I'm too weak!"

Annagi held him tighter. He lost Ace too. She would have to take care of Luffy in Ace's place. _I promise you, Ace! _

Luffy broke away from her, returning to his punching rocks. He reiterated that he was weak.

Jinbe tried to reason with him, but he just told him to go away. Luffy wanted to be left alone.

"I can't see you like this." Jinbe told him.

"It's my body; I'll do what I like with it!" Luffy retorted.

"Then you can't blame Ace for doing what he did." Jinbe's logic was solid.

Annagi realized that it was true. Ace did what he wanted. He died on his own terms. That man always had this horrible habit of never backing down when it came to those he loved. He'd never let anyone say a bad word about the ones he cared about.

Jinbe continued to say that Ace's death was none of Luffy's business, rightly making the young pirate angry. "I'll beat you, you bastard, if you say another word!"

Jinbe seemed to understand more than Annagi did. "If that makes you happy."

The two started fighting. Annagi couldn't bear to watch. They were both so terribly injured. Jinbe was straightforward. He told Luffy that he thought he'd be able to save Ace, that he was strong. He didn't think about how strong his enemies would be or how they would take away his confidence. Jinbe knew that Ace was Luffy's guide and that he would take down all that blocked his way.

"You'll never find your way like this, because you're mired with guilt and regret!" Jinbe seemed to be speaking daggers into both of them. Though he was speaking to Luffy, it resonated with Annagi as well. "I know it's painful now, but you have to bottle up those feelings! Don't just think about the ones you've lost. You can't get back what you've lost. What is it that you still have?"

_What is it that I still have?_ Annagi questioned herself. She couldn't think of one thing. _I have nothing. Ace was my only family. You left me with nothing, Ace! You gave me my freedom, only to take it away again…_

Luffy gave up fighting. He knew what he still had. "I still have my friends! Zoro! Nami! Usopp! Sanji! Chopper! Robin! Franky! Brook! They're my friends!" He calmed down. "I have to meet them on the ship! It took awhile, but I know they're waiting for me! I want to see them now… I want to see them!"

Annagi had never felt such distance between two people as she felt with her and Luffy in that moment. They both lost someone so dear, but he had other dear friends to rely on. Ace had told her about them, when he saw Luffy a few years ago. They were reliable and really cared for him, Ace told her. He was really happy to know that his brother would be fine without him.

Jinbe picked up Luffy and the three of them made their way back to camp. The tears that flowed before stopped. She walked as if she was only a body without a soul. Aimlessly following behind Jinbe as he talked with Luffy about not going back to Sabaody at the moment, she willed herself to pretend that she was fine. _It shouldn't be hard, these people don't know me. _

An old man was waiting for them, instead of Trafalgar Law and his crew. Apparently he was the Dark King Rayleigh. She looked him up and down silently. He was the vice captain to Roger and even in his old age, he didn't seem any weaker than the stories that were told about him. How scary, she thought.

Rayleigh returned Luffy's hat. Luffy seemed happy. It was as if he was a different person now. _Is that what having friends does?_ Annagi remained silent. As she thought, Law had already left.

"Luffy, he said you need to stay in bed for two weeks," the man related what the doctor told him. He then turned toward Annagi. "As for you, though he doesn't know your name, he said that you shouldn't be overexerting yourself and that you need the same amount of rest. He said that you'll endanger your child."

Luffy gaped at the girl, as if he finally took notice of her. "Child? Eh? Who are you again?"

Annagi fists tightened; Ace's blood stained ribbons were still wrapped around her hands. When she found out that Luffy was in a vastly different position in grief, she wanted to be left alone. She didn't want to take care of anyone that didn't need it, especially when she needed to pull herself together again. There was no time to think about what she was going to do during that battle, reality crashed down upon her. The world still went on. Ace was gone, but the world was still moving forward. How cruel.

"She's Ace's –" Jinbe started to answer.

"Former vice-captain of the Spade Pirates, Aruna D. Annagi. I left when they joined Whitebeard. I couldn't let my idiot captain die, so I ended up at Marineford." Annagi answered without an iota of emotion. Holding in her pain was so hard, but she had to pull it off. "Now, Dark King, how do I get off this island?"

"And the baby?" Rayleigh pushed.

"None of your business."

"Ace –" Jinbe was not helping her cause. Annagi punched him, letting out a gasp of pain, as her fist connected.

Rayleigh smirked. "Roger's son left the same legacy. They both have the same tastes in women too, strong and strong willed."

Luffy stared intently at her stomach. "Ace's baby?"

Annagi ignored Luffy. She was really annoyed how quickly he moved on. "Can you tell me where I am? Any coordinates? Even a general location."

"I couldn't tell you really. Somewhere on the Calm Belt." Rayleigh answered. Clearly, he was lying. A legendary vice-captain would have no problem with direction.

At that moment, a group of women appeared, the pirate empress and her sisters as well as an older woman. They seemed to know Rayleigh, though Boa Hancock was in her own little world, obviously fawning over an oblivious Luffy. Annagi couldn't help but be a little jealous of her; after all, the man she loved was alive.

Luffy and Jinbe both started eating the food that was brought by the women. Annagi sat down as well. She took an apple from the pile and stared at it in her hand. Looking at it made her sick. The thought of food made her sick to her stomach. _I don't need food to live. Ace, I want Ace. _

Luffy stopped. "Ann, eat."

"Don't call me that." Annagi stared him down, aware that Hancock's eyes were shooting daggers at her. _Ace was the only one called her by that name, or more truthfully, the only one she allowed to call her by that name._

"Ann is easier to say." Luffy grabbed a piece of meat from the pile and stuffed it in her face.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Annagi managed to say, swallowing the last of the meat.

"He told me to look after you." Luffy said casually, resuming his own inhuman consumption of food.

"Right back at you." Annagi was shocked. He remembered what Ace told him. She was ashamed of trying to abandon him only a few moments before. _Sorry, Ace. Your brother is a lot stronger than I am. I'll take care of him in your place. Forgive me, if I fall short at the start. _

Her thoughts were interrupted by Rayleigh who called out to Luffy. "You're thinking about going to Sabaody, didn't you?

"I need to see my friends." Luffy answered.

Annagi decided that she would help Luffy do so. Apart from that, she hadn't the faintest clue of how Ace would want her to look after him. Reunited him with the people that Ace had faith in would be a start.

"Is that really what you want?" Rayleigh asked a little mysteriously. "Remember what happened at Sabaody? Do you think you can face those with tremendous power as you are now?"

Annagi thought about her own weakness. She couldn't save Ace. She didn't even fight during the battle. _I was completely useless…_

"But I –" Luffy was at a loss for words.

"Do you want to be reunited with your friends in order to endure the same fate?" Rayleigh continued. "Of course I have a suggestion. The choice is yours. It goes for you as well, Annagi." What he said next would shock everyone.

Boa Hancock looked at the man incredulously. "You know what he just went through! What's your intent with him? Depending on your answer, I won't forgive you!"

Jinbe stepped up with the same sentiments on behalf of both Luffy and Annagi. "How dare you say that, knowing what happened to them? You're harsh, aren't you?"

"That's why I said it was a suggestion." Rayleigh was ever calm amongst a hostile group of Luffy's comrades. "You two must decide what you want to do."

"I don't ever want to let my friends go through something like that again. If I do as you say, I can protect my friends?" Luffy asked seriously.

"I think it's worth trying. But you realize you'll have a lot to do."

"Okay. I've made up my mind. I'm going to go back to Marineford!"

Annagi trembled. Hearing the name of that god forsaken place had her tempers flared. _Go back to where he died?_ She wondered if she could control herself in a marine haven, knowing what she knew, after seeing the hatred and corruption of such an evil establishment.

Rayleigh looked at her, surmising what she was thinking. "You don't have to go; it's more for Luffy contacting his crew."

Annagi scoffed at Rayleigh's remark, a little surprised at the strong façade she was about to portray. "And miss all the fun? Apparently my significant other left me with the task of keeping his dear little brother out of trouble. Waltzing into that place again sounds like a lot of trouble to me. Besides, I have a little business to take care of there as well."

_What the hell did you just say? _Her mind was made up despite those nagging thoughts of dissension. She needed to know what was happening in the world; how did the marines portray the war? How people were reacting to it? What would happen to the pirate era? Did Ace die in vain? What reason did Ace have to die? Marineford had to hold some answers. Annagi steeled herself for going back there. She would make a decision about what she'd do with her life when she got back from Marineford. Although it was clearly a method of prolonging acceptance of the death of her beloved, Annagi was not aware of it.


	5. Return to Marineford: A Message Sent

On the way to Marineford, the girl finally decided to make a move, inspired by Rayleigh's plan. Though she had no finite direction, her general aim was clear in her mind. Annagi watched the gates of justice open. Marineford was ahead. Rayleigh, Jinbe, and Luffy effortlessly had taken control of a marine ship and subdued those on board. Using a marine to give the code to the central control, getting in was easy. Living the past two years on land, she had forgotten the recklessness of pirates. _I was once like this._

"Luffy, are you okay?" Jinbe asked him.

Luffy stretched his arms. "Yeah. Ann?"

She shot him a warning glance. "Annagi. And I'll be fine."

She needed a few weeks more of rest for her body to fully recover. That's what Trafalgar Law recommended, but she didn't have two weeks to give her body. In truth, her body didn't recover as quickly as a normal person, much less someone like Luffy, but she did start to feel better. Pirate captain or not, Law was one hell of a doctor.

Annagi bent down and took a dagger from one of the captive marines. Her voulge was lost in the hustle to escape. She looked around to find another one of the same type, and smiled when one of the marines a few places down had it in his possession. Her hands moved deftly, weighing both daggers as they cut the air around her.

"I'll be taking this," she told a blushing marine as she removed his belt and fastening it around her waist. She opened the jumpsuit, removing her arms from the sleeves and letting the top fall down, revealing a black tee. The young woman had the foresight to do this because didn't want the Heart Pirates symbol to cause Trafalgar Law any trouble being associated with her.

"Oh, wow, Marineford really took a beating!" Luffy exclaimed, as if he was really seeing it for the first time.

Annagi stood next to him on the ship's bow as they reached closer, stolen daggers tucked into the stolen belt. Pushing every bit of anger, sorrow, and regret to the darkest corner of her mind, she answered. "It does look that way."

The marine ship shot a blank from the cannon on the bow, which caused the cannons at Marineford to fire. Jinbe's fishman karate took care of the incoming cannons. Another round was taken care of by Rayleigh, with a handful of round bullets. They made their way once around the island, before coming back into the inlet.

Annagi held on to Luffy as he used his devil's fruit power to carry them onto the island as the cannons mounted on the surrounding walls fired on the ship. The four of them stood tall as they landed. Annagi took out the daggers, and clutched them in her hand.

"Go ahead and let loose on them," Rayleigh said, looking at Luffy.

"Yeah!" Luffy replied rushing forward, Annagi close behind, leaving Jinbe and Rayleigh to take care of the marines on that end.

Running behind Luffy, the young woman never got a chance to show her prowess, as Luffy used his rubber whip to sweep the marine troops away. Reaching the giant bell, Luffy rang it sixteen times. The entire area fell silent, save for the tolling bell. The rubberman walked back, Ace's beloved following closely beside him.

Walking by an oncoming marine, Luffy did nothing as the man froze in his tracks. Annagi, however, could not do the same; there was something so wrong about these people parading around like they had right on their side that her rage boiled over. They had no right to even use that word, much less wear it. Using one of the daggers, as she walked past him, she sliced through the back of his coat, where the word justice was emblazoned, leaving the man himself uninjured.

Luffy stopped at the small gorge that Whitebeard had created. He took out a bouquet of flowers from his pocket, and threw it into the chasm, with his hat in hand his message displayed. Annagi stood next to him at the edge. She couldn't remain at stone-faced as Luffy. Tears ran down her sun kissed cheeks, as she took out a bouquet of her own and threw it at the same time, her right hand holding her heart, revealing the symbol marked upon it.

_I miss you, love…I won't fail you._ She watched the flowers fall into the darkness. She didn't have any time to mourn, as she heard the marines behind them moving. She turned to face them, making sure that her right arm was displayed; it bore a message just like Luffy's. Luffy's message, 3D crossed out with 2Y marked underneath, was signaling to his crew that instead of three days, they would meet in two years. Annagi's message was a large spade marked on her arm. She hoped that the Spade Pirates would understand it as a summons from their vice captain.

She matched Luffy's running pace as they avoided the marines returning to Rayleigh and Jinbe. Annagi let out a sigh of relief as they escaped Marineford once again.

Annagi was woken up by weird noises. She looked over to see the women of Amazon Lily stretching Luffy as he lay beside her on another blanket.

"I hope they get it," Luffy said more to himself than anyone.

Annagi inwardly voiced the same sentiments.

Rayleigh and Jinbe were both being prodded by the women. Jinbe much more annoyed than Rayleigh.

"They'll get it. As long as they see the article. The key is your actions and how uncharacteristic they are of you. There's one guy who's a bit dull but he'll be able to get it. They'll understand, I have a feeling." The dark king looked towards the sky.

_Purupurupuru – purupurupuru – purupurupuru. _

"Oh crap!" Annagi was startled.

"Oh crap, is right you insolent whelp!" The voice answered her. "I've been trying to get a hold of you for two weeks now! Where are you? I'm coming to get you now."

"Sorry Gramps!" Annagi almost yelled in apology. She looked around. "Hmm…about twenty miles west north west of Marineford. Give or take a few miles."

Rayleigh looked surprised. "Twenty-five miles actually."

In an instant, an old man appeared on the Amazon Lily pirate ship. He stood shorter than Rayleigh, but his presence was just as dominant. His white hair, short and messy, didn't seem to know what a comb was. He rushed toward Annagi throwing his arms around her, like any concerned family member would. The two years they spent together had formed those same bonds.

In the arms of her grandfather figure, Annagi broke down yet again. She cried and cried, snot running down her nose, her voice giving away. The others looked on, not sure of what to do.

"There, there, Anna dearest. I' m here now. I'm so sorry."

"I-I-c-couldn't s-s-save him! I watched as he died right in front of me! I can't live without him, Gramps! I don't want to live anymore! I'm already dead, Gramps. I died when he did!" Her innermost thoughts were spoken out loud. It rang throughout the silent ship.

Luffy was taken aback. This woman was in so much pain over the same loss. Ace had told him that she would be all by herself now. She didn't have friends like he did. There was no one to call home. He didn't know how to comfort her. He just looked on as she cried herself into silent sobs as the old man held her.

"Aruna D. Annagi! Do not disgrace him when he needs you the most!" Gramps voice boomed like thunder.

She stopped crying. He wiped her eyes and blew her nose with a handkerchief he retrieved from his lab coat.

"I know you're stronger than this," he continued. "Ace knew you were stronger than this. You're the vice-captain of the Spade Pirates. Second only to the once renowned Fire Fist Ace himself. A man who relied on you, whose strength he depended on as captain. A man who depended on your strength to move forward. A man who now depends on your strength, yet again, but this time to move yourself forward. To live this life he saved in the best way possible. To give his child the best future that he himself would have given him. He depends on you to live for the both of you! Throwing that away is to forsake the man you love so much!"

His words echoed in Annagi's mind. Those were the words she needed to hear. She took them to heart.

"I would never forsake him, Gramps..." She stood on her tip toes and threw her arms around the man's neck. "Thank you. I'll live for the both of us."

In all that was going on Rayleigh stared at the man before him. He knew him from somewhere, but couldn't put his finger on it.

"You're –" It finally dawned on him.

"Gramps!" The man stopped him, a little panicked. It seemed that he didn't want to reveal his identity yet. "I'm her Gramps. That's all."

"Have it your way, Gramps," Rayleigh knowingly answered.

Breaking from her embrace, Annagi turned to Rayleigh. Her dark brown eyes showed a glimmer of life, as if awakening from the dead. "I need a week."

"A week?" he questioned.

"To get my things together, find a doctor for my baby, stuff like that."

"I see." Rayleigh took a piece of his vivre card from his jacket. "Take this, when you're ready, you'll be able to find us."

"You're going?" Luffy spoke up. He was still processing what just happened, making his own decision that he would not forsake her. He would honor his brother's last request.

"Sorry, Luffy," Annagi attempted a weak smile. "I'll be back. I can't have you getting into trouble without me. I'm supposed to get you out of it."

"Then I'll see you in a week." Luffy smiled for her. It was so familiar. Ace would smile the same way.

Annagi reached out her hand to Gramps. With a flash, they were gone.


	6. Annagi's Decision: To be the Consequence

It was already night by the time Annagi finished telling a curious Gramps everything that happened at Marineford. He was especially curious about the okama Ivankov and Inazuma.

"If that's it Gramps, I'm going to go home now." Annagi was already at the door.

"Are you sure you don't want to spend the night here?" He knew that her home would have so many memories of her and Ace. Even though she had resolved to live, her wound was still open.

"Yeah. Goodnight, Gramps! I'll see you tomorrow!" She said goodbye.

Walking alone back to her small cottage, everything that happened felt like a dream. Being back on this island, there were no traces of the horrors that she had witnessed. The young woman got to her front gate. She stared at her home that Ace and the Spade pirates built for her when they left her here.

"I'm back," she said to the darkness, opening the door to her house.

Annagi dragged herself upstairs and sank into her tub. It had been so long she bathed herself. Somehow the warm water and foam seemed to wash away the grime, sweat, blood, and tears from the recent past. The only blood it didn't wash away was Ace's blood stained on the ribbons she still wore on her hand. The tub seemed so much bigger. In fact, everything about her cottage seemed bigger. e didn't know who H

She found herself in bed, staring at the ceiling. Why did the bed feel so cold? It felt as empty as she did. Her body's need for sleep eventually overrode her mental state and she fell into a dead sleep.

The sun shone through the window, late the next morning. Annagi shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to get up. Nothing would make her leave her bed. She pulled the covers over her head, completely encased in the bed sheets; it still smelled like him. She breathed it in, finding comfort and feeling lost without Ace. Crying into her pillow, it drowned out her screams of anguish, and choking sobs throughout the day.

Dusk's last night was fading from her bedroom window. She lay in the same position, her pillow completely wet. There was no end to the tears she shed when she was all alone.

"Hey there, crybaby," a familiar voice echoed throughout the room. "Stop being such a girl."

She shot up, her head emerged from under the covers within the blink of an eye. Her tanned skin blanched, her eyes as wide in shock. "A-A-Ace?! B-but you're d-d-dead!"

It was the first time she herself said those words aloud; she started crying again. She was saying them to the man she saw die in her arms. He was sitting on the bed as if nothing happened.

The man smirked. "Of course I'm dead. You saw me die. I'm here because you need me to be."

"B-b-but –"

"Now please listen to me, get ready, and meet with Gramps like you told him you would."

She stopped crying, reaching out her hand to him, only for it to fall on the bed. "I've gone crazy, haven't I? Of course I have. I'm talking to a hallucination."

The Ace on her bed laughed. "Of course you're crazy; I knew it from the start!"

Annagi heeded his advice. She always listened to Ace when he was serious. He had his reasons when he spoke seriously and she wouldn't question him in life, so why would she in death.

Though clothes weren't important to her, they held many memories that were important. Remembering those feelings, she looked at herself in the mirror, she felt strong; how she used to feel when she gallivanted with Ace and their pirate crew. In many ways she looked like a feminine version of Ace. In fact, it was because Ace was everything she wanted to be, that she started to emulate his dress. Her mid-length black shorts were belted with an orange leather belt, with the same buckle Ace always wore. She pulled on a v-necked orange tee, looking at herself with a frown. It fit a little too snugly around her chest. Stepping into her black combat boots, she was pleased that it was still worn in and fitted properly. Fixing an armlet on her left arm, she sighed. Remembering that she was too scared to get a tattoo of a spade on her left arm, in the same place Ace had his tattoo, Ace had gotten her the armlet with a black spade adorned on it. The orange elbow guard was affixed onto her right elbow, as it was her non dominant arm; she used it more as a shield arm, rather than to absorb any impact from her voulge swings on her left. Completing her old look, she wore the twin of Ace's red and white bracelet on her right wrist.

She looked every bit the girl she used to be, but something felt missing. She wasn't the same person she was back then. Annagi braided a part of her hair with the white ribbon, letting it fall off to the side of her face. The rest of her black hair fell past her hips. It was the only piece of ribbon Ace gave her that wasn't stained with his blood. Those stained ribbons were kept in her pocket. Her final touches were using a henna dye adorn the area just below the bottom right side of her eye with another spade. She chose to forgo the cloak she always wore as vice-captain for a black scarf that Ace brought her from his travel to Alabasta. Finally, putting on a pair of fingerless gloves, she felt like the clothes did indeed make the woman she wanted to be.

"So, how do I look?" She asked, turning around to show the spectral Ace.

He wasn't there. She called to him again, with no answer, before leaving the house. She did her best to write off her hallucination as she walked to Gramps' shop. _I'm tired. It was probably just a dream._

"I haven't seen you wear that in a while," Gramps greeted her. "Though it looks a bit different."

When Annagi first came to the island, every time Ace would visit, she would wear her uniform, expecting him to take her with him again. They would always part with an argument and tears on her part. As time went on, Gramps saw that Annagi decided to respect Ace's wish for her to stay, and gave up her Spade pirate identity.

"Yeah. Taking your advice, Gramps. Living for the both of us."

"I didn't mean like this." He was worried she was heading in the wrong direction. Dressing like her dead lover wasn't the best was to move on.

"It's just clothes," she lied. Annagi sat on the chair, waiting for the man to draw her blood. It was the only way she could travel back to Luffy.

"I've worked out some of the kinks." He changed the topic. "There shouldn't be so much pain. The synchronization should be getting more accurate, which means less discomfort on your part. Oh, for heaven's sake, stop tensing up. It'll hurt more!"

Annagi rubbed her sore forearm. "I can't help it. I get scared when I see a needle coming at me."

"So what's your plan? I saw you on the front page of the newspaper today. Everyone wants to know who you are. Being associated with Straw-hat isn't going to keep you or your kid safe. They think you're his. Apparently, they think you cry beautifully. It was a haunting shot though; you actually looked like an ethereal spirit. Some of them are calling you the Pirate Goddess or the Pirate Angel. All of this attention isn't going to help you in anyway." Gramps lectured her, as he went about mixing her blood with his already prepared solution.

"I won't let them get away with it, Gramps," Annagi explained, her fists clenched. "They took him from me, like it was the right thing to do. They labeled him as a horrible monster. They made him feel like that his entire life, however short it was. They claimed his life and the lives of both his fathers in the name of 'justice'. It's a perversion and the world follows along blindly deluding themselves. I'm still not sure of what I'm doing, but I'll be both the goddess' wrath and the avenging angel if I must."

"Revenge is never the answer." Gramps knew it was falling on deaf ears, but he had to say it.

"If I backed down now, I wouldn't have been born Aruna D. Annagi. They need to know that there are consequences to every action. I'm just the reaction to their action. It's only natural."

"I see there is no sense talking to you when you're like this." Gramps thought of how alike Ace and Annagi were. _Foolhardy more like it. _"So, what are you going to do with the week you asked for?"

"I want to see Ace's foster mother. I want to see the place he grew up. I want to see my former crewmates If they get my message, they'll be at my house in a few days. I want to talk to them about Ace's grave and I want to visit him." Annagi yawned. She rested her head on the table, feeling drained.

She woke up the next morning, unsure of where she was. It was a little while before she figured out she was in Gramps' guestroom. Running down the stairs to the kitchen, she found him sitting at the table drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. A place setting was made for her on the other side of the table.

"Gramps! Why didn't you wake me last night?!"

He looked up from the newspaper. "Your body needs rest and I for one will not ignore it. And I took the time to assess your physical state."

"The baby?"

"Still healthy, I don't see anything wrong from the last time I examined you. Your kid is developing as expected, but you need to take it easy. Stress isn't good for either of you."

"I'll try my best to keep it at a low."

Gramps chuckled, as he turned the newspaper over to show her. She took a seat, looking at one of the pages in the back. There was a close up picture of her at Marineford. Annagi scoffed as she glanced at the article questioning her identity and how she was related to Luffy.

"It looks like you're giving the Pirate Empress a run for her title of the most beautiful pirate."

"She can have that title, I don't want it." Annagi frowned. Her face would now be recognizable. "This is going to be a problem."

"Didn't you use to wear a hooded cloak?"

"Yeah, but it was hard to fight in."

"So you're still going to do that?" Gramps began his lecture once again on thinking rationally, formulating a plan, minimizing risks, and moving forward.

After a heated argument, they both calmed down and agreed to disagree.

"Before you go, take this with you." Gramps handed her a new double ended voulge. " I've infused it with kairoseki. And this too."

Annagi fastened the voulge on her back, and examined the dagger. It was an ornate piece, more for decoration, than for practical use. The gilded hilt was decorated with black onyxes in the shape of spades with matching scabbard. Unsheathing the dagger, she examined the metal, making sure that it would be of use in combat before, slipping it on the left side of her belt. "Thanks, Gramps. I love it."

Picking up her backpack, Annagi reached out for Gramps.

"Here we are." Gramps and Annagi were on the docks of Fuusha Village. "I know you're not going to listen to me, but listen to this: stay safe. If you're ever in over your head, call me and I'll be where ever you need me to be. I'm going to miss you around the shop, Anna."

Annagi hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Gramps. For everything."

The man smiled, before disappearing before her eyes. The young woman turned around. The first thing she saw was a giant sign saying that this island was under the protection of Monkey D. Garp. She usually had more restraint than she did in that moment. Walking up to the sign, she casually unsheathed her dagger, slicing it up.

Annagi then walked towards the town. It was picture perfect, like a painting of a peaceful little village she'd seen in books. No one here had ever witnessed the darkness that lived on the doorstep of her soul.

"Let's make a break for it, guys! Garp's behind them!" A group of pirates sped past her. They looked like they were being chased.

Sure enough, Annagi had guessed right. She saw a small group of marines at the heels of the small time pirates, probably stirred up at the beginning of this new era. Pulling up the scarf, the spade mark and her eyes were her only visible facial features. _Garp's here?!_

Grabbing a quarterstaff from one of the retreating pirates, Annagi stood in between the two groups, allowing the pirates to make it back to the docks.

She moved on instinct. The days of old came flooding back. Battling marines and pirates alike to make a name for the Spade Pirates honed her instinct and sharpened her natural abilities. These marines were inexperienced compared to her. She wielded the staff as she would have wielded her voulge. Parrying, sweeping, and polished downward and skyward strikes rendered the group incapacitated. The staff prevented any accidental death she might have dealt out otherwise. Annagi threw down the quarterstaff, pulling her new voulge from its place across her back. A quarterstaff wouldn't work on the hero of the navy, Monkey D. Garp.

"You let him die!" she couldn't help but scream as she rushed him.

He guarded in time. There were still holes in her offense, allowing his rather large fists to fly at her. Barely dodging in time, she stepped on his fists, pushing off to put as much distance between them. Both maintained their distance, gauging the other.

Garp noticed that every person in their vicinity was passed out. Civilian, pirate, and marine, there were no exception. Annagi had used Conqueror's haki without meaning to. Her emotions had gotten the better of her.

"I see you're dressed like my grandson," Garp spoke, beginning to get irritated at the gall of this strange woman. "Is this your idea of a joke?"

"You have no right to call him that!" She spat, her hands shaking as she gripped her weapon. "You coward! How dare you choose these bastards over someone you called your family? Or did your bonds with him mean nothing? You were strong enough to save him! Your dog Akainu wouldn't have stood a chance if you stopped him! You let him die! He'd be here if you did something!"

"He made his choice, when he decided to be a pirate," Garp replied coldly. It wasn't like he didn't think the same thoughts. Regret at not being able to save his adopted grandson tore him apart.

As soon as those words were out of his mouth, she moved like the wind. In an instant she was on him, slashing down at his shoulder with the top edge of her voulge. He anticipated the upward swing with the bottom blade, and sent her flying back using haki infused in his hands.

She managed to stop herself from crashing into a small shop, using the wall to push herself back to him. Readying her voulge for another strike, she knew she would lose this fight.

"You took Ace away from me!" Annagi cried as she got closer to him.

Garp let his guard down. He realized Ace was important to her; she was in love with him. He couldn't hurt her; guilt manifested itself again. Looking at the girl coming at him, all he saw was a desperate grief stricken woman, working on emotion alone.

"Ann! What are you doing?!" Ace appeared in front of Garp.

"Ace?!" Annagi looked in horror at him. He was real. It wasn't a dream. She barely stopped the blade from coming down on him and Garp, burying it instead into the ground.

"Ace?" Garp repeated her words. He had no idea why she stopped. She was looking in his direction, but as if she was seeing someone else.

The hallucination ignored Garp, focusing on the object of his affection. "You know he's not to blame. It's not his fault I'm dead."

Annagi fell to the ground. She was overwhelmed. There were too many emotions fighting for dominance within her. She didn't even know when her tears started to fall on the earth, or even if it was really her voice wailing throughout the island. All her determination, all her mental strength, whatever hollow conviction she made that she would move forward seemed to fade away. Ace was standing before her again, being her voice of reason, of sanity.


	7. The Past: Their Fateful Meeting

Garp found his opening; in a swift move, he grabbed the girl in his arm and walked off to Mt. Colubo.

Annagi struggled to break free. She had grabbed her voulge, but her arms were pinned down against Garp's body. After screaming to be let go did nothing, she decided to remain silent. Ace hadn't disappeared like he did the first time; he followed right behind her. _There's something wrong with me. _She knew he was a hallucination, and no matter how she willed him away, he didn't go.

"Not another one!" she heard the gruff voice of a woman as a door creaked open.

"No, more like a prisoner," Garp refuted her objection. He put her down, as someone brought rope to bind her hands and feet.

He threw her on the floor. Annagi could see the woman who spoke, as well as several other people in the room. She smiled to herself; it was Dadan. Ace had described her when he told her of his childhood.

Garp pulled down the scarf. The entire room gaped at her.

"Isn't she the one with Luffy?" Dadan asked the others.

A short man brought the newspaper, holding it up next to her. "Looks like it."

Annagi remained quiet, looking at Ace for some sort of signal as to if she was in danger or not. He sat down, so she could see him.

"Who are you? How did you get from Marineford to East Blue so quickly? Why are you dressed like Ace? What are you doing with Luffy?" Garp bombarded her with questions as the others noticed that she was indeed dressed like Ace.

"Speak up, brat!" Dadan would not tolerate anyone insulting the name of her foster son's memory.

"The whole story?" Annagi asked. She made up her mind to tell them.

Knowing that Garp didn't need to hear her say the words she said to him, she decided to tell them her story. Dadan would have heard it anyways. Ace protected Garp, meaning that she could trust him, despite resenting him.

* * *

There was commotion above on deck. The prisoners of the pirate ships cowered in fear. It had been weeks since they had been sold into slavery. The pirates were set to take them to auction. The deplorable conditions and the cruelty to the pirates drained all hope from them. As they heard groans and howls of pain, they could not help but imagine a crueler master as they would change hands to an even crueler crew.

The door to the brig opened unceremoniously. A young boy twirled the chain of keys around his fingers as he walked to the prison bars. Annagi was in a corner in the back. She couldn't quite make out what was happening.

"They were idiots," he commented casually as he unlocked the door. "How did you people end up getting captured by them?"

There was still silence. The prisoners knew not to judge books by their covers, especially when such a young man could dispatch a crew of fearsome slaver pirates.

"Suit yourselves," Ace started to walk by up the stairs to the deck. "I'll be commandeering this ship until we reach a port. You can do what you like when you get there. If you don't get in my way until then, you'll be fine."

Things finally seemed to reach some sort of normalcy aboard the now liberated slave ship. It had been two days since Ace had come aboard. The pirates were now locked in the brig. The prisoners had free rein, except for the occasional request from their young savior.

"Someone bring me some food!" The young man was at the helm.

Annagi sighed. The boy wanted food again. He had just eaten. It was all the prisoners could do to feed him. Fishing was a daily activity for the rescued group. The prisoners had decided it was Annagi's responsibility to bring him food; they were too intimidated. Since she was the only one who wasn't a part of the group that was sold to the pirates, she was a stranger to them, and it didn't help that she didn't really speak to them. Opening up to strangers was never her strong suit. Being brought up as a servant didn't help her overwhelming reticence.

She walked carefully with the platter of food and drink. Her fear dominated her annoyance at pulling the short end of the stick so to speak.

"Oh, thanks, um…what was your name again?" Ace asked her, munching on the freshly caught fish.

"Aruna D. Annagi." She mustered all her courage to speak to him.

"Thanks, Ann!" He sat down, drinking up the pirates' ale. "Could you take the wheel for a while?"

She crinkled her nose at the shortened form of her name. Annagi obliged, not wanting to know what the consequence of saying no was. There was a mental block on not saying no. Punishment always came from that word.

"So what's your story?" he asked, looking up at her. She was the only one that came near him. He knew that she was forced to.

Being at the ship's wheel was a freedom that she had never known. The salty wind blowing in her face, the feel of the wooden wheel under her fingers, the movement of ship as she moved it ever so slightly, those were things she found herself lost in. It was as if an entire world sprang up before her eyes. She was in control of something for once.

"Ann?"

"Oh!" Annagi snapped out of it. "I'm so sorry! What did you say?"

Ace chuckled. He watched her smile as she drifted from the reality she was in. He knew the freedom she felt. He felt it too when it took off from Dawn Island. The open sea and endless possibility, and the chance to become truly free pulled at him.

"I asked you for your story."

The girl frowned. It wasn't a story at all. It was the sad reality of her life. Nevertheless, she told him of her life of indentured servitude, the loss of her family, and her selling off to these pirates to the auction house for the World Nobles. She didn't know how she could speak so easily to him about the most painful memories in her heart.

Ace listened to her life with the most intent look on his face. She was also born into this world with no say. Hearing her story resonated with him.

"What about your story, Ace?"

"My story begins now."

Annagi stared at him in wonder. It was what she wanted, a new beginning. She had abandoned all hope when she set foot on this ship.

The days that followed deepened the conversation between the two. Though they came for different backgrounds, they felt a familiarity with the other. Annagi was able open up for the first time. She didn't know how much she wanted a companion to say the things she held in her heart until Ace offered to listen to her. To tell someone her story was cathartic; she felt a freedom that she had never dared to dream. Ace never spoke about his past, but of his aspirations, each day filling the slave girl's world with color and life.

"Land ho!" Ace proclaimed, motioning everyone to listen up. "We're about to dock on this island. I'll go my way and you go yours. Do whatever you want with your prisoners and the ship, but I'm taking their gold. You should be able to collect a bounty for these idiots though."

The freed slaves cheered. They had misjudged the man who saved them. Though he wasn't very endearing, even to the point of being abrasive, they were alive and could see a future.

Annagi frowned. The past few days had been a breath of fresh air. Being aboard a ship, sleeping under the stars, feeling the wind on her skin awakened her from all she had ever known. She found a kindred spirit in her savior. She didn't know what she would do. The others on board had made plans of returning to their homes. They were just stolen from their families, not sold off. Not having a home to return to ground her back to reality.

"Try not to get yourselves in this situation again." Ace got off the ship tethering his little boat onto the docks. He walked off, waving goodbye, though he didn't look back. "Other pirates aren't like me."

Annagi walked off the ship. She had never been by herself before in a strange place. Not knowing what to do, she started following Ace.

"Uh, Ann? Why are you following me?" Ace asked, a little annoyed.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I have nowhere else to go."

"Well, you're not coming with me." Ace sped up.

"Damn it, Ace! Wait for me!" She cried as the distance rose between them.

He broke into a run, all the while reminiscing about Luffy.

In the end, he did get away from Annagi. She walked into the town, unsure of what she should do. The world looked both new and frightening. She had no money, worldly knowledge, or idea of what she would do.

Annagi walked around the town, exploring freely while searching for Ace. She had never been able to do that as a servant. Her forays into town from the mansion were for errands that she could not have strayed from without punishment; she had seen the other maids beaten for stopping at a shop or buying a sweet that was not a part of their task.

She walked through the park, smelled the flowers, and sat on a bench watching the seagulls fly toward the sea. She wandered about until she found herself back at the docks. The ship was gone. There was a twinge of panic as she saw it a ways in the distance. The others had resupplied and left already. There was no going back for her. Frantically searching for Ace's boat, she sighed in relief as found it tied to a wooden mooring bollard on the wharf.

Annagi sat on the post watching the sun set. It seemed so sad.

"What have we here?" Annagi was too absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn't see the gang of thugs approach her.

She remained silent and terrified, though she tried her best to maintain an outward picture of calm.

"Is the pretty little girlie babysitting this little boat?" A young man grabbed her, pulling her close to him.

"Stop!" She cried out, struggling to get out of his grip.

"What say we just take this boat and smash it to smithereens?" Another man brandished an axe, walking ever closer to Ace's boat.

"No!" Annagi screamed before biting her captor's arm, and escaping his clutches.

She didn't know what to do. All she thought of was protecting Ace's boat. He had so many things to do. Being the freest man on the seas, having adventures, making a name for himself, all of the things that made his eyes sparkle were tied to his boat. She couldn't let a few ruffians take it all away.

She saw a stick lying on the ground. Picking it up, she held it tightly as she rushed the men. She swung it, hitting one of them. A slew of curses were hurled at her, followed by swings of the groups' fists. The stick was wrenched away from her, and it became a tool that beat her mercilessly as she fell to the ground. There was nothing she could do; she laid on the ground, curled up as small as possible, her back taking the brunt of their assault. Hit after hit, pain shot through her body, tears overflowed onto the ground.

Suddenly, the beating stopped. Afraid to look up, Annagi heard screams and blows being exchanged. Arms reached for her, she cowered at the touch. She found herself being carried on the back of a silent Ace.

"What the hell were you thinking, you idiot?!" He broke the silence a few minutes into their walk.

"They were going to take your boat!" Annagi stuttered between sobs. "I couldn't let them. I wanted to protect your dream, your freedom…"

Ace didn't reply. It was still a stupid reason.

"Thanks for saving me. But, you can let me down now."

"Oh shut up, I'm taking you to a doctor." He exasperated, gripping her tightly.

"I'm fine!" She attempted to sound as lively and lighthearted as possible. Annagi had always taken care of herself. Rarely had the family she worked for taken her to see a doctor. "I've been beaten worse. It's nothing."

Annagi woke up the next day to see Ace sleeping on a couch next to the bed she was in. There was a man looking over her.

"Good morning, miss," he spoke quietly, hoping not to wake Ace. "There was no internal bleeding, just some bruising. You'll be sore for a couple days."

"Um, doctor, I don't have any money to pay you." She didn't want to be in debt. "I can work it off, doing whatever you need me to."

"It's already been taken care of. He also asked my nurse to buy you some clothes." The doctor pointed to several bags in the corner of the room. He gave her a bottle of painkillers and left the room.

Ace yawned, waking up. He stretched before getting up. "Good morning."

"You didn't have to do this."

"Do what?" Ace raised an eyebrow.

"Everything."

"It's repayment. For my boat." He walked out of the room, waving a casual goodbye.

Annagi wasn't going to let him get away again. It was the second time that he saved her life. He gave her more than her life; he gave her a future, filled with hope, possibilities, and freedom. She winced, getting up out of the bed as fast as she could. Grabbing the bags on the floor, she ran out of the building after him.

She caught up, walking beside him with a small smile as they headed to his small boat. "You could have waited for me, you know."

"I'm leaving, where do you think you're going?" Ace questioned, a puzzled look painted on his face.

"With you of course!" Annagi had made up her mind.

"I don't think so!" Ace retorted. He stopped at the wharf, untying the mooring lines from the bollard. "Why would you want to go with me?"

"Repayment," Annagi replied simply. Getting into the boat, she looked up at Ace with defiant eyes and the sweetest smile, as he looked at her dumbfounded.

He smirked at her, getting into the boat. He didn't think he would meet a person that he respected so quickly. Nor did he think he'd find a person that seemed so familiar; she reminded him of Luffy at the core. "Then both our stories start now. Don't regret it, girl."

* * *

The entire room was silent. They were enraptured in her story. Hours had passed. Garp listened, slack-jawed, as did Dadan. They could not believe their ears. Their Ace had always had adventures, but there was never any hint of what she told them.

"After I joined him, we founded the Spade Pirates. I was his second in command, until he left for the New World. Apparently I wasn't strong enough to fight the strongest man on the seas." Annagi summarized the story she just told them. She laughed at her last comment. "I could always see through his motives, I never wanted to be safe like he wanted me to be. All I wanted was to stand next to him like I used to. Now I'm standing alone, well, not completely." Annagi continued.

The room stared at her, puzzled. No one was with her.

"So that's why I'm here, Dadan." Annagi shattered the silence. "He was my idiot, but when he told me about you and how you all raised him, I knew he truly loved you, despite it all. I wanted you to know that. And I wanted a favor. I have no plans on dying like his mother, but I will need a little help now and then, taking care of our baby. I know that he'd like that as well."

Dadan's mouth opened wider than before. The mountain bandits were all flabbergasted. Garp was like a statue.

"B-b-baby?!" He managed to stutter out.

"I knew you were bringing another mouth to feed, Garp!" It was the only way Dadan could cope.

"I-if it's too much trouble, that's okay too!" She quickly stated, not wanting any problems.

"No trouble at all!" Mogra managed to say for all of them.

Annagi looked at her vision of Ace. He was still there, smiling at her, giving her courage to recount their adventures. Without him, she had no idea how she would have gotten through it.

"Thank you…" She gave a half-hearted smile, more to Ace, than to the room who listened to her story.


	8. Vengeance Born

"So you're back?" Gramps greeted her two days after she had left for East Blue.

Annagi sighed, emptying the pack that was now filled with empty vials and folk remedies for negative pregnancy side effects that the mountain bandits had given her.

"I'm back." She plopped down on a chair.

"Did you meet who you needed to?"

"Yeah. Garp was there too."

Gramps tensed. "What did you do?"

"Nothing. I was completely calm," she lied. "But I did get to hear some stories about Ace that he didn't tell me. I'm glad I went. I feel closer to him."

The hallucination of Ace had disappeared in a moment she wasn't looking in Dadan's house, never to materialize for the remainder of her stay. In the moments that she was left alone, Annagi had wandered all over Dawn Island, reliving the stories that Ace had told her in life. Seeing how he lived as a child, gave her such insight into how he became the man he was. She wandered Grey Terminal and the forests, fighting the residents of both. She slept in the still intact pirate tree house that Ace, Sabo, and Luffy had made in childhood and sat on the cliff that looked out at the ocean on the very spot that Ace had done when he mourned his friend. It was on that spot that she vowed to them that she would never back down and would see their dreams come true.

"The Spade Pirates are waiting at your house," Gramps wanted to change the subject from Ace. He needed her to move on. "It's a delegation. They all couldn't come. Said they couldn't find a fast enough ship to bring them all."

"I guess I should be going then," Annagi got up, leaving the pack with Gramps. "I'll see you in a few days Gramps."

"What are you planning?"

"Nothing, Gramps," she answered, walking out the door. "Just carrying out our captain's will."

Annagi walked back to her house. Ace and his pirates had made it for her. She reminisced about the good times they had constructing it. After the house was built, it was the last time she had been able to talk to the Spade Pirates. In the year she sailed with them, they became so close, only to part as they went on to the New World.

The young woman pushed the door to her house open. She was not prepared for the sight she saw. Eight of the strongest men in Ace's crew were lounging in her living room, apparently taking a nap. She slammed the door behind her, causing them to look in her direction. Immediately jumping up, they tackled her into one massive group hug.

"Guys! I missed you so much!" She was being squished in all direction, but she didn't mind. "I didn't think you'd come…"

"When the Queen of Spades requests an audience, nothing else is of import," a tall gentleman dressed in formal clothing, top hat included, voiced.

"What the hell were you doing at Marineford?" another man piped up, his white cowboy hat askew.

"You didn't need to see that, Anna," a tanned, tough guy wearing polka-dotted pants told her sympathetically. "You shouldn't have been there."

"And then you went back with Ace's brother!" another man, wearing a black shirt with a white spade on it scolded her. "How could you be so reckless?!"

Before the others could speak up, Annagi broke away from them and looked at the floor like a child being chided by angry parents.

"I couldn't help it," she told them quietly. "You call me the Queen of Spades, but deny me the right to protect my captain? To be included among your ranks? Just like you all left me here two long years ago."

They were all quiet. It was their turn to feel guilty. After she said it, Annagi wished she could take it back. She knew that it wasn't their faults.

"Sorry guys!" she apologized as lighthearted as she could sound. "I know it was stupid!"

They each hugged her and whispered their condolences on Ace's death in her ear before going back to sitting on the chairs and couches in the room, leaving Annagi standing there.

"So why call this meeting, Anna?" a voice came from a large den den mushi on the coffee table.

"You guys listening on the other end?" Annagi asked, knowing the rest of the crew was there. "Alone?"

"Yeah," was the reply.

"I guess I should begin then. Once again, thanks for being here. I know you might not consider me your first mate anymore –" She began before being interrupted by a chorus of contention, all saying that she would always be their vice captain.

She continued on, knowing exactly what she wanted to say; it had been ruminating in her mind throughout her stay on Dawn Island. "I don't know what experiences you've had since you entered the New World. You've been a part of Whitebeard's crew for two years now. I understand that your allegiance lies with him as well and you need to honor his wishes. But, no matter what Jolly Roger you sail under, you've always been Spade Pirates. When we bleed, we bleed in Spades. Now, we have no captain. Our captain was taken from us. His life was stolen. But he lives on. He lives on in all of us. He lives on in the crew he created. We are his legacy. We carry his will. All our captain wanted was for everyone to know his name based on his merit, not his blood. All our captain wanted was freedom: true freedom. Two simple things that we tried to make possible, for his sake. His name was our name, his freedom meant our freedom. As long as the fire within him lives on in all of us; as long as his will lives on, Portgas D. Ace will never die! I, Aruna D. Annagi, swear to you, Spade Pirates, that this world will never forget his name. I swear to you, I will carve out freedom from this rotting world to make his dream come true. Blackbeard and the Navy – no, the World Government – will pay. I will become divine retribution. Blackbeard will be hunted for the rest of his days. I will see justice end; the world government will not sully this world with their corrupt justice any longer. I will not see another die in the name of their Justice. Tonight, Vengeance is born. I called you all here in hopes that you feel the same as I; in hopes that you will carry his will into this new era. You are my trusted friends, my family, my brothers, my fellow Spade Pirates. What say you?"

The small room was silent. There was no noise coming from the den den mushi. Annagi stood in front of them, the picture of confidence. She was always so good at hiding her nervousness with a facade of poise. The others looked the gentleman; he arose, unsheathing his sword. Annagi stood firm.

"I told you when the Queen of Spades beckons we are at her whim," He gripped his sword, holding the hilt on top of his heart. "After the death of the captain, command falls to the first mate. Ace made it clear that you were still his first mate. We already deliberated and unanimously agreed that you are now in command of the Spade Pirates."

"I'm not ordering you as commanding officer to join me." Annagi didn't want to force anyone on the most dangerous journey they would ever take. "If that's the case, I'll disband the Spade Pirates."

The man groaned in frustration. "Will you listen for one second, Anna? We knew you were planning something like this when we voted you captain. Ace wouldn't back down at the death of a companion, and we sure as hell won't insult his memory by not avenging his death."

Annagi shook her head. "There is no Captain of the Spade Pirates. Ace is our one and only captain. No one will take his place. Does this mean you're all in?"

"There's no one else we'd want to carry out vengeance with other than you, Vice-Captain." A clamor of voices echoed through the den den mushi.

"What's our breakout move then?" It was the man in the white cowboy hat that asked the question on all of the pirates' minds.

"This will be a two front war. As much as I hate to say it, Blackbeard we'll have to save for last. There's too many people chasing after him right now, and as we are, there is no way we're strong enough to take care of his overpowered crew not to mention himself. I can't believe that bastard's got two devils' fruit powers. First on our agenda is to delegitimize the Navy and the World Government. We're one crew, against an organization with endless resources and manpower. We fight using guerrilla tactics, but more importantly, we need public opinion on our side. That means casting aside our name as Spade Pirates and fighting under this banner of Vengeance. We have to find and publicize any ill gotten gains of the Navy, any unsavory laws by the government. At the moment, we have the upper hand."

The man in the spade shirt arched his eyebrow. "How so?"

"Because the Navy is disorganized and undermanned now." It was the man wearing the yellow headband and polka-dotted pants turn to speak up. "The top of the food chain is off chasing the big guns like Blackbeard into the New World. That means the idiots down the ladder will make plenty of mistakes for us to exploit."

"First of all, we need to announce ourselves to the world." The gentleman stated.

The conversation went on for an hour. The lively debate on how they would make their first mark was like home to Annagi. She felt as if they were on their ship again, sailing the seas and arguing about who would be the one to watch the ship at the next port.

They finally decided in a more nonviolent approach of defacing the closest marine outpost with their objective. That led to another heated discussion about what they would write.

"They need to know we're doing this for Ace." The den den mushi blurted out.

"How about drawing an Ace of Spades playing card?" A short man in a turban suggested.

"Perfect!" Annagi responded. She couldn't believe that Ace's crew would accept her requests so willingly.

"What about the main message?" The cowboy asked.

"How about 'A world founded on injustice never lasts. When Justice is corrupted, Vengeance is born.'?" Annagi answered after a bout of silence as the room brainstormed.

They now had their message. The pirates in her house celebrated with a party into the night. Annagi watched them as they drank and ate, feeling nostalgic and hollow. The scene was so familiar, but it was missing the key piece: Ace in the middle of the crowd, some cut of meat in his hand in a dead sleep. It was bittersweet; each pirate doing the best they could at feigning some form of the past, as a tribute to their dead, to cheer up their widow of the lot. Annagi appreciated the gesture, knowing that Ace had really been a great man to have assembled great men to his side.

"Duke, Bronco," Annagi addressed the gentleman and the cowboy. "This is a blitz. Duke, make sure the others don't get carried away and kill anyone that comes at us. We don't need bodies to smear our mission. Bronco, get our message written as quickly as possible, the sooner we're out of there, the better our chances of not dropping bodies."

They had been sailing for a full day. The sun dusked, and they were now in darkness save for the stars. It was only a matter of time before the Marine post would be in their sights and seconds later that they would rush in amid the confusion.

"Noted." Duke fixed his cravat, before making sure his sword was fastened tightly at his side.

"Don't worry; I'll get the job done. They won't be able to scrub it out for days." Bronco ran his hand around the front brim of his hat. "But are you sure you should be coming?"

Annagi had told them about her pregnancy, much to the surprise and joy of the crew. Though since then, they had been acting as if she was glass figurine.

"I'm fine, Bronco," she spoke, a hint of annoyance dripped from her mouth. "Someone's got to be there to save you if you fail."

The man was indignant. "Fail?!" He almost bellowed.

Annagi laughed. "Just joking! But there's no way I'm putting you all in danger while I'm sitting safe somewhere. I'm happy to be looking after everyone again."

"Alright, children, let's stop this teasing." Duke was always the one to mediate spats if he wasn't in them. "We're here. We're outnumbered. Let's focus."

They were spotted earlier than anticipated. A bright light was trained on them as they entered the port. Since the cutter wasn't flying a jolly roger, there was no reason for the marines too treat them as hostile.

"You sure, you're ok?" Annagi asked the navigator, the man in the white turban. "You'll have to defend the ship against stragglers."

"Vice-captain," he replied with a smirk. "I got this."

"Then here we go boys!" Annagi pulled up her scarf over her mouth, and jumped onto the pier.

For a plan that had little preparation, the landing worked like a dream. Luck was on their side. The pirates needed the fort to be manned by grunts, rather than commissioned officers, and with the exception of five ensigns, it was the perfect setting for a blitz with a small group.

"I got the ensigns," Annagi ran at the front, going for the ranking officers on site, occasion sweeping a few grunts off their feet.

Her skirmish with Garp reawakened her battle sense. She was aware that her team had the upper hand, dispatching the recruits and seaman like they were flies. Moving from one to the other, Annagi used her voulge with the precision of a surgeon, knocking them out, before slashing the justice insignia on the backs of their coats. She saw Bronco already halfway done with their message, and her ears made the distinction of the weapons of her crew and the marine soldiers. Even though the battle was one-sided, it made her blood course madly throughout her body.

Every marine was an enemy; it took a great deal of restraint to not rip them to shreds to feel better. Killing marines who had no part of the terror she felt and the horror she saw at Marineford would not be satisfying in the long run. The senseless killing she saw there ironically kept her in check; she didn't want to become the monsters wearing human skin and marine uniforms.

As she pushed back the marines coming at her, she couldn't help but remember Ace. He rarely showed mercy on a battlefield when the enemy threatened the lives of his crew. She never had the stomach for killing and was satisfied that her revenge could work without killing mountains of marines and becoming like them. Becoming stronger would mean that she wouldn't have to kill those that were stronger; being able to overwhelm an enemy without endangering their life was what she needed to do. The exceptions to that belief were Blackbeard and Akainu; she'd take their lives with a smile on her face, making sure she would be the last thing they saw. Roger's right hand man Rayleigh would be able to help her. She needed to get back after this.

"Let's go!" Bronco roared as he ran back to the ship.

Back at the ship, Annagi inspected her crew; there weren't any injuries, just a few minor scrapes. She was surprised that the new world had strengthened them this much. "Seems like our captain whipped your sorry asses into shape. I remember when something like this would have done a bit of damage."

"I seem to remember that the Queen of Spades was a little delicate," Duke shot back playfully.

"I am not delicate!"

Morning had just broken before they reached the spring island of Annagi's residence. Annagi faced Ace's men once again standing on the pier.

"We have to meld into the shadows. We wage a war of information. Uncover their dirty little secrets and expose their injustice. As for hostile pirates, or pirates taking advantage of innocents, one warning is enough. Splitting up and covering as much ground as you can would be best. We'll meet again in two months' time at Ace's resting place. Let's hope our vengeance works. I'll see you soon. Give my regards to the rest of the crew." Annagi reminded them, getting off the ship.

"And what will you do?" Bronco raised his voice as the ship pulled out.

"Get stronger! I can't let you guys catch up to me!" Annagi waved goodbye, wondering what training Silvers Rayleigh had in store for her.


End file.
